OpenAI 2026 hackathon

SeeZambia: Find My Ballot

Helping Zambian voters find their constituency, ward, voting location and the candidates relevant to where they live.

Solo project by Jonathan Siwale · 0 likes · 0 comments

Archive position — measured, not model output

0 likes on Devpost

2,264 of the 7,856 archived projects have more likes, and 5,592 share exactly 0 — so this project's #6,610 place in the like-ranked listing is a tie-break inside that group, not a ranking.

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Likes on Devpost. ▲ marks this project's group.

Show the figures
LikesProjectsShare of archive
05,59271.2%
11,75822.4%
22853.6%
3–41321.7%
5–9751.0%
10+140.2%
Devpost like counts for all 7,856 archived projects, captured when this archive was built.

Executive Summary

What the company appears to be

SeeZambia: Find My Ballot is a voter-facing civic information tool for Zambia’s 2026 general election, designed to help voters locate their constituency, ward, and voting location, and understand relevant candidates and contests.

What changed

During OpenAI Build Week, the author (Jonathan Siwale) developed the "Find My Ballot" voter journey and supporting infrastructure to make fragmented public election data usable. This included building a governed electoral-data pipeline, integrating candidate information with different confirmation levels, and using GPT-5.6 and Codex for decision-making and implementation.

Single most important open question

Is there sufficient evidence of traction or adoption beyond the author's own development efforts? The description states no revenue, customers, or user data are available — only self-reported claims about functionality and design decisions.

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What The Product Actually Is

The description states that SeeZambia: Find My Ballot is a voter-facing civic information tool for Zambia’s 2026 general election. It helps voters identify their constituency, ward, and voting location, then provides relevant candidate and contest information.

It also describes the system as more than a candidate directory — it is a system for turning fragmented election information into something understandable before entering the polling station.

The product was built using:

  • Cloudflare D1, R2, Workers
  • Codex
  • GPT-5.6
  • Next.js, React, TypeScript

It includes an electoral-data pipeline that verifies data integrity and checks hierarchical relationships between constituencies, wards, and polling stations.

Inference The tool appears to be a web-based application with backend logic for managing and validating electoral data, likely hosted on Cloudflare infrastructure.

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Positioning & Claim Evolution

The description states that SeeZambia aims to help Zambian voters find their constituency, ward, voting location, and relevant candidates. It positions itself as a tool to make scattered public election information usable.

It also claims the platform was developed during OpenAI Build Week and that it includes a governed data pipeline and evidence-aware candidate information handling.

Inference The product evolved from an existing "wider SeeZambia platform" into a focused voter journey during Build Week. It is positioned as a civic tech solution for improving access to election-related information in Zambia.

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Target Customer & ICP

The description states that the primary users are Zambian voters participating in the 2026 general election.

It implies that these users are looking for:

  • Their constituency
  • Their ward
  • Their polling location
  • Candidate and contest information relevant to their area

Inference The target customer is an individual voter, not an organization or government body. The ICP is likely defined by geography (Zambia) and election participation (registered voters in 2026).

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Business Model & Pricing Evidence

The description does not state anything about a business model or pricing.

Not evidenced.

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Technical & Delivery Signals

The product was built using:

  • Cloudflare D1, R2, Workers
  • Codex
  • GPT-5.6
  • Next.js, React, TypeScript

It includes:

  • A governed electoral-data pipeline
  • Data validation logic to ensure hierarchical consistency
  • Candidate information separated by confirmation level (direct, party, filing, ECZ-confirmed)
  • Deterministic importers and regression tests
  • Cloudflare deployment changes

The author used GPT-5.6 for reasoning through edge cases and implementation planning, and Codex for code generation within the repository.

Inference The system is built with modern web and serverless technologies, and includes data governance and validation features. It appears to be a lightweight, scalable tool designed for civic use.

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Traction & Maturity Signals

The description states that the platform existed before Build Week but was extended during the event. It does not mention any user base, revenue, or adoption metrics.

Not evidenced.

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Competitive Context

The description does not provide information about competitors or similar tools in Zambia or elsewhere.

Not evidenced.

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Key Risks & Red Flags

  • No evidence of traction or users: The product is described as self-developed and not yet deployed for public use beyond the author’s own testing.
  • Unverified data sources: While it claims to validate data, no specific source or verification process is detailed.
  • Self-reported tooling and tech stack: The use of GPT-5.6 and Codex is described but not independently confirmed.
  • No commercial or operational evidence: There is no mention of funding, partnerships, or business development.

Inference The project appears to be a prototype or proof-of-concept built during a hackathon, with no indication of production deployment or market traction.

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Diligence Questions To Ask The Founders

  1. What is the current status of the platform — is it live for voters?
  2. How was the electoral data sourced and validated? Are there any known inaccuracies or gaps?
  3. Has the platform been tested with actual users or in a real election context?
  4. Is there a plan to expand beyond the 2026 election, or is this a one-time tool?
  5. What are the long-term sustainability plans for maintaining and updating the data?

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Investment/Partnership Verdict

The description states that SeeZambia: Find My Ballot was developed during OpenAI Build Week and is part of a larger platform. It is not evident whether it has been deployed or adopted beyond the author’s own development efforts.

Not evidenced.

There is no evidence of revenue, customers, or traction. The tool appears to be a prototype built for a hackathon, with no indication of commercial viability or scalability.

Inference This project is likely a proof-of-concept or early-stage civic tech initiative. It does not yet demonstrate the commercial maturity or market validation required for investment or partnership consideration.

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Source

Submitted to the OpenAI 2026 hackathon on Devpost. Project home on DevPost.

The analysis above was generated by a language model from the project's own one-line description. It is not independent research and contains no verified traction, revenue or customer data.